


and even if you leave more footprints than i do

by fightforyourwrite



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Red & Green & Blue & Yellow | Pokemon Red Green Blue Yellow Versions
Genre: F/M, Nanashima | Sevii Islands (Pokemon), Post-Canon, Tea, Teenagers, Writing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-17 23:29:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29724903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fightforyourwrite/pseuds/fightforyourwrite
Summary: "you always will be my favourite place in the world."in which red visits leaf and gets a glimpse of her new adventures.
Relationships: Leaf & Red (Pokemon), Leaf/Red (Pokemon)
Kudos: 5





	and even if you leave more footprints than i do

**Author's Note:**

> ayyyyy so this is the second fic i wrote using the lyrics to Silver Storm's english translation of Acacia. You know, when I watch the Gotcha! video, I interpret the boy with the Pikachu and girl with the Eevee as Red and Leaf, even tho nothing else about the vid implies that. 
> 
> Lemme have my shipping crumbs, ok? 
> 
> Also, happy Pokemon day!

_ "and even if you leave more footprints than i do." _

* * *

Red felt like he hadn’t accomplished much in his near two decades of life. He was still who he was — former Champion, pride and joy of Pallet Town — but that was it,  _ that _ was all he was. 

He wasn’t like Koga, who went from Gym Leader to Elite Four member in the span of a few years. He wasn’t like Blue, who found a new calling in the walls of the Viridian Gym. And he was not like Leaf, who went beyond the Kanto to pursue adventures elsewhere. 

When he visited her small, slightly shabby cottage in the Sevii Islands, he discovered that she had done more with her life than hide on a mountain. When she wasn’t working with her team, she was exploring every corner of the Islands and beyond. When she wasn’t travelling the world, she was at her desk in her tiny home, typing away on her laptop to properly document her stories. 

Leaf had been hired by Sevii’s local news office to write columns about the many aspects of being a Pokemon trainer in this day and age — from Mega Evolution to Z-Moves, if there was something happening in the world of Pokemon battles, the Sevii Newsroom wanted her perspective on it. What helped her get the gig was a recommendation by Professor Oak, her Pokedex, and the fact that nearly everyone else in the newsroom was older than a lump of Old Amber. 

So while Red rested in the living area of Leaf’s little cottage on the edge of Cape Brink, she herself was planted on an old wooden chair in her own corner of the room, her laptop on her desk, her fingers typing madly on the keyboard, and her loyal Vaporeon napping by her sock-clad feet. Red was on the couch, his Pikachu on his lap and his eyes on the blazing flames of the fireplace. In the background was a simple ambiance, a mix of the gentle Two Island breeze flowing outside and the gradually rising whistle of the kettle on the stove. 

Moments passed and the sound of whistling got higher and higher, culminating in a whine that made Pikachu’s ears twitch. 

Leaf didn’t look up from her laptop screen when she asked, “Hey, can you get that?”

Wordlessly, Red nodded and got off the couch, his Pikachu hopping to the floor to cuddle closer to the fireplace. He made his way to the kitchenette and turned off the stove. He then grabbed the well-worn kettle and brought it to the counter, where he poured boiling water into a teapot filled with Galarian black tea, a personal favourite of Leaf’s. He placed the teapot on the table, then proceeded to search around the kitchen cupboards for teacups. 

“Mugs are by the fridge,” Leaf said — again, not looking up from her screen. 

Once more, Red nodded without a word. He grabbed two mugs — one decorated with an Indigo League logo and the other decorated with a photo of Diantha Dubois, a famous Kalosian actress that Leaf was rather fond of. 

The tea steeped in five minutes — in that time, Leaf had not stopped typing for even a second. It seemed that writing had become a new passion in her life, just like battles had been back in their youth. 

Then again, Leaf and Red’s  _ “youth” _ was only a handful of years ago. They were seventeen now, their pre-teen years a mere blink in the grand scheme of things — but if one asked Red, he would say that their younger days were eons ago. Now they stood in the present, where Red was taller, Leaf’s hair was shorter, and his three-year stint atop an icy cold mountain was something she would never let him forget. 

Red poured tea into two mugs and added a splash of Moomoo Milk to both. He plopped two demerara sugar cubes into Leaf’s mug (the Diantha Dubois one) and three for his own. 

He went to Leaf’s desk and placed her mug beside her laptop. “Milk, two sugars,” he said as he went back to the couch. 

For the first time in a while, Leaf stopped typing and looked away from her screen. Through the lenses of her spectacles, an air of surprise took over her eyes. “You remembered,” she spoke with a smile.

He gave a nod and blew some steam off his tea. Even with their time apart, he still remembered quite a lot about her, like the way she laughed or how she could drink tea by the bucket. 

Leaf pulled her hands away from her keyboard and gave her wrists a quick stretch, then took her mug. It was strange to think that this person — the overworked columnist sitting childishly cross-legged at a computer desk — was the same person who grew just down the street from Red. Some things had stayed the same — like the way she babied her Vaporeon (back then an adorable Eevee), but others had changed — like the fact that Leaf was wearing her glasses again. 

The spectacles she was currently sporting were different than the ones she had as a cute kid. Red never had a good grasp on how bad her vision was, but she only wore them when watching movies or navigating in the dark or the occasional tricky battle. One could argue that she should have worn them all the time, but Leaf’s mother pushed her to wear the ugliest pair so much that Leaf grew to utterly loathe the cheap frames. 

It was fair to say that she made peace with her vision problems now, as a pair of black acetate frames were now positioned on the bridge of her nose. 

Leaf sat back in her chair and swiveled around to look at Red on the couch. “So… have fun at Sevault Canyon?” 

Red nodded. Despite Leaf being one of his oldest friends in the world, years of silence and his growing discomfort with talking had made its mark on him. A few years ago, he would have told her at length about how he looked through every nook and cranny of the canyon, either looking for new Pokemon to go up against or new trainers to fight. He would have told her about his Charizard’s surprising struggle against a Pokemon Ranger with a Chansey. He would have even added in some details about his Pikachu befriending a rather cute Larvitar.

But instead, all Red could say was — 

“I did.” 

It seemed to be enough for Leaf, she smiled and took a quick sip of her tea. 

Red sighed. Getting himself to talk was a lot more difficult than he thought. He tried something else, a simple question that would not require too much from him. 

“What are you writing?” 

Leaf smiled, clearly glad that he asked. “A column about Blackthorn’s Dragon Tamer Clan,” she answered, then motioned for him to come over. “Check it.” 

Red got up and went to Leaf’s desk. When she got out of his chair to let him sit, her Vaporeon on the floor woke up from its evening nap. It yawned, stretched its back, and stepped out of the way to let Red get to the chair. Vaporeon went to Pikachu by the fire, immediately cuddling up near its old friend like they did when they were young. 

Red sat on Leaf’s chair and feasted his eyes on her screen. He only read the first parts of the column. 

> **_I Spent Six-Weeks Training With The Dragon Tamer Clan — by L.F Green_ **
> 
> _ The Dragon Tamer Clan is a long line of trainers in the Johto region who specialize in — you guessed it — dragon types. Rightfully so, since many will agree that dragon types are some of the most high maintenance, but powerful, Pokemon in existence. As the owner of a Dragonite, I can attest.  _
> 
> _ I was recently given an opportunity from Champion Lance himself to train with him in Blackthorn City’s Dragon’s Den. Joining me would be his cousin Clair — also known as the Leader of the Blackthorn Gym — and their grandfather, who prefers to be referred to as the Dragon Clan Elder.  _
> 
> _ What I expected was weeks of gruelling grinding and conditioning, something I thought would make my Dragonite start to hate me. What I didn’t expect was to learn about the roots of Lance and Clair’s family line and how they played a part in the founding of Blackthorn City.  _

Leaf leaned against her desk and asked, “You like?” 

“It’s a good start,” Red replied as he took a sip of his tea. He was no writing expert, but he enjoyed what he had seen.

“Hopefully a good finish too,” Leaf added. She began wandering around her writing desk, looking amongst the papers and sticky notes for something. “I’m hoping to get it done, I gotta focus on like… a million other things.”

“Like training?” Red tried. 

Leaf shook her head as she grabbed a business card from underneath a mountain of papers. “Yeah  _ that _ , but not  _ just _ that, y’know?” She placed the business card inside a drawer on her desk and closed it.

Red got a quick look at the card. What he could make out was that it belonged to someone who worked at a publishing company and who resided in Goldenrod City. 

“Get this,” Leaf started, an excited gleam now in her eyes. “I met this lady in Johto, she works in publishing. We had coffee, we talked, one thing led to another, and now she wants me to write a memoir about my journeys. Isn’t that sweet?” 

“Sounds like something you’d like,” Red said. He smiled slightly, as her attitude was infectious. 

“Of course, it is!” Leaf exclaimed. “She specifically wanted a trainer who travelled with a Pokedex, so that’s why she asked me. Although I could pull some strings if you wanna to write something, too.”

Red was quick to shake his head. “I don’t have much to say.” 

Leaf raised an eyebrow at him. There was just a smidge of sass hiding behind the lenses of her glasses, something very akin to her that had not faded away, even now. “You sure?” she asked. “Because I’m sure people would kill to read the memoir of a living legend.” 

Red winced at the last two words. He wasn’t sure how that phrase made him feel. Like always, he said nothing, but he took his eyes away from Leaf, unsure what the proper response would be. 

Leaf’s gaze softened as she realized the impact of her words. “Sorry,” she murmured softly. Even writers could use inappropriate terminology sometimes. With an apologetic look, she placed a gentle hand on Red’s shoulder before grabbing her tea and heading to the couch. 

Red watched as Leaf prodded across the carpeted floor. Before sitting amongst the cushions, she made sure to add an extra log to the fire. As small as her cottage was, it was comfortable and cozy, an echo of the small houses that were popular in Kantonian towns. 

Red didn’t regret coming to her place instead of hiding in a motel. He wasn’t afraid of being recognized, as surprisingly not many people believed that the fabled trainer from Pallet Town looked like a regular guy. However, many places did enjoy increasing prices around the tourist season, and even living legends needed to save money sometimes. 

“You been sleeping well upstairs?” Leaf asked, taking her eyes off her tea. 

“Yes,” he answered, nodding. While the second floor of Leaf’s cottage was more like a glorified attic, it was certainly more comfortable than a forest floor. “Are you sure you don’t want your bed back?”

Leaf shook her head as she rested against the arm of the couch, looking tantalizingly comfy in a pile of cushions. “I’m a-okay down here. Besides, you’re my guest, so it’s only fair.” 

Red rolled his eyes. With a long day of training behind him, he had no energy left to argue. He simply sat back in Leaf’s surprisingly comfortable swivel chair and held his mug of tea. 

She gave him a soft smile, something Red didn’t realize he missed until now. Without a doubt, he was grateful for all she had done from him, even if she thought letting him stay with her was nothing more than basic human decency. 

When Red first visited Leaf after leaving Mt. Silver, she was undoubtedly nervous in his presence. Years apart would do that to even the closest of friends. Now she was used to seeing him again, even though he was travelling to every corner of the world on a quest to get stronger, and she was chasing stories to tell with words and columns. Whenever they did meet up, she would tease him and joke like they were still little kids. Sometimes they would battle and let his Charizard and her Venusaur duke it out again, but most of the time they would have quieter moments like this. He would be lying if he said he didn’t appreciate it. 

“Hey, I’ve got a meeting with my boss tomorrow, but later on I can meet you in the canyon,” Leaf offered, her youthful smile staying on her face. “Sound good to you?” 

Red met her eagerness with some of his own, albeit his was more subdued. “Sounds great.” 

Leaf was gleaming. “Awesome, it’s been forever since we trained together, hasn’t it? I’m sure Venusaur would love to fight Charizard again.” 

Red nodded along. Even though he was still a man of few words, there was never any doubt that Leaf knew what was on his mind. Even if they were on different paths, she would always be one of his favourite places in the world.

* * *

_"you always will be my favourite place in the world."_

**Author's Note:**

> lately i've started taking note of all the Stephen King influences in Pokemon *gestures to the Stand By Me references* and honestly it feels very on-brand to make Leaf a writer bc King does it a LOT with his stories. IT, Misery, and Stand By Me aka The Body are the examples I can think of off the top of my head.


End file.
